Local council begs state to create NSW-like renewables plan

A Western Australia council is begging the state government to better manage renewable energy developmenst, but in the absence of a state plan has put forward its own set of guidelines as a starting point. 

The Narrogin shire council is pitching a five step plan they say will help communities, governments and developers work together. 

“We are ready to work with the state to deliver a model of success, not just for Narrogin, but for all regional host communities navigating this energy transformation, to deliver on the State’s energy transition targets and decarbonisation goals,” said Shire president Leigh Ballard in a statement. 

“Our community supports renewable energy and the opportunity it brings, but we must not be left behind in the process. 

“We are calling on the state government to work with the shire proactively to deliver practical, lasting benefits, particularly in housing, infrastructure, and community enhancement.”

Narrogin wants statewide standards for sensitive issues such as setbacks for wind turbines, visual and environmental concerns, and decommissioning. 

It’s calling for a state-mandated approach to community engagement and to turn temporary worker accommodation into legacy housing.

In November last year, WA energy minister Reece Whitby promised a renewable energy framework to help local governments and communities navigate the transition.

But during the state election campaign in February, both Labor and Liberal parties refused to adopt a similar state planning policy to that proposed by the Nationals, which promised mandated council involvement in the approvals process, benefits funds, and decommissioning plans.

Western Australia’s newly appointed energy minister Amber-Jade Sanderson did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

Pay up

But where the Narrogin plan gets very specific is around the community benefits fund and how projects should pay rates. 

The council is proposing a standardised framework modelled after the New South Wales (NSW) shared benefits guidelines.

They are proposing that developers pay either a fixed rate or a percentage of the total project value, with the fund to be managed preferably by local governments with the help of community advisors.

This approach was suggested but not mandated under the NSW guidelines, and came in for some criticism by developers worried that councils would not manage the funds in ways that would reflect well on the donors.

The shire council is also pitching a state-wide payment-in-lieu-of-rates (PILoR) system, as  Victoria has done, for windfarms in particular to give councils another non-community-tied source of revenue for critical infrastructure and services.

The Narrogin shire council has been contacted for comment.

Struggling with renewables

Narrogin has been struggling with the influx of renewable energy projects on its patch.

In 2023, the Narrogin, Williams and West Arthur shires put in place draft policies guiding how renewable energy should be implemented. 

But last year a 200 megawatt (MW) wind farm and 100 MW/200 MWh battery on farmland between Narrogin and Williams fell foul of these rules, leading one councillor to tell the ABC last year that developer Neoen went over their heads to “bypass” the local policy.

In addition, South Energy is proposing a 200 MW/800MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) 5km south of Narrogin, and Ace Power is planning a 200 MW solar farm and 200MW/800MWh battery.

At the end of March, the Narrogin council adopted policies around community benefits and housing that it hopes will tip the scales in favour of local people. 

It wants community benefits to be settled before development approval is given.

It also wants those contributions to be, at minimum, those recommended by the NSW government’s guidelines – $1,050 per MW per annum for wind energy, $850 per MW per annum for solar energy, and $150 per MWh per annum for standalone battery projects, indexed annually to the consumer price index (CPI).

The NSW wording about their shared benefit rates led to confusion, with some developers as a floor and others as a ceiling.

But the Narrogin shire council is very specific: the levels they are proposing are a minimum contribution level. 

The shire council wants to manage that money, promising to count it as restricted funds in the budget rather than going into a general purpose bucket, but has left the door open to a developer-managed fund as well. 

The other policy was around housing: the council wants transitional housing built for the large numbers of people needed to build renewable energy projects to be set up so they can later become permanent housing. 

It prefers developers build housing near towns, and stipulates details such as “security measures… keep the site secure without unduly isolating or fortress-like designs”.